The KC Royals used six extra base hits (four doubles in the first) to beat Milwaukee, 8-5. Royals starter Nate Karns rebounded from a rough start to pick up the victory.

Karns allowed four runs (three earned) in the bottom of the first. The first two runs scored on Ryan Braun’s home run. After an error with one out, back-to-back hits gave the Brewers the one run lead. From there, Karns pitched three scoreless, though he was helped out by his defense: a liner that turned into a double play in the third, Parker Morin threw out a base stealer in the fourth, and Alex Gordon threw a runner out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double to end the fourth.

The Royals then trotted out a string of left-handed relievers. Mike Minor pitched a scoreless fifth, though the Brewers did have runners at the corners with two outs. ScottAlexander pitched a perfect sixth. Eric Stout allowed a two out, solo homer to former Royal Manny Pina in the seventh.

Minor league right-hander Mark Peterson walked the first two batters he faced, but then got a fly out and a double play on the next two pitches to end the eighth. Lefty Tim Hill hit the first batter he faced and then allowed a single, but escaped.

The Royals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. It started with an HumbertoArteaga leadoff double (he was starting in place of the injured Raul Mondesi). Alex Gordon followed with an RBI double and then scored on Ryan O’Hearn‘s double (he would double again in the fifth). With two outs, Cheslor Cuthbert drove in a run with a double. Unfortunately, the Royals also struck out three times in the first.

The Royals tied the game in the second on Christian Colon‘s solo homer. I thought he sprained his finger and would be out a bit? He missed one game.

The Royals took the lead in the fourth, as Arteaga drove in a run with a ground out and Gordon followed with an RBI single. In the fifth, a run scored on an error and Peter O’Brien drove in a run with a sac fly (1-for-3, run scored, 2K).

Gordon, O’Hearn, Cuthbert, and CC all had two hits in the win.

*Mondesi has back stiffness and was a late scratch from the game. He is day-to-day. It seems like every season Mondesi misses time due to back issues.

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About Jen Nevius

I first became a KC Royals fan way back in 1995 when I attended my first Wilmington Blue Rocks game. I fell in love with minor league baseball then and began following the Royals as former Blue Rocks clawed their way to the big leagues.
3+ years ago I started covering the Royals for Aerys Sports, but since the site has been shut down, I am going out on my own.